The invention relates to an implant for orthopedic applications. More particularly, the invention is related to an implant formed from two or more bone portions.
Bone grafts have become an important and accepted means for treating bone fractures and defects. In the United States alone, approximately half a million bone grafting procedures are performed annually, directed to a diverse array of medical interventions for complications such as fractures involving bone loss, injuries or other conditions necessitating immobilization by fusion (such as for the spine or joints), and other bone defects that may be present due to trauma, infection, or disease. Bone grafting involves the surgical transplantation of pieces of bone within the body, and generally is effectuated through the use of graft material acquired from a human source. This is primarily due to the limited applicability of xenografts, transplants from another species.
Orthopedic autografts or autogenous grafts involve source bone acquired from the same individual that will receive the transplantation. Thus, this type of transplant moves bony material from one location in a body to another location in the same body, and has the advantage of producing minimal immunological complications. It is not always possible or even desirable to use an autograft. The acquisition of bone material from the body of a patient typically requires a separate operation from the implantation procedure. Furthermore, the removal of material, oftentimes involving the use of healthy material from the pelvic area or ribs, has the tendency to result in additional patient discomfort during rehabilitation, particularly at the location of the material removal. Grafts formed from synthetic material have also been developed, but the difficulty in mimicking the properties of bone limits the efficacy of these implants.
As a result of the challenges posed by autografts and synthetic grafts, many orthopedic procedures alternatively involve the use of allografts, which are bone grafts from other human sources (normally cadavers). The bone grafts, for example, are placed in a host bone and serve as the substructure for supporting new bone tissue growth from the host bone. The grafts are sculpted to assume a shape that is appropriate for insertion at the fracture or defect area, and often require fixation to that area as by screws or pins. Due to the availability of allograft source material, and the widespread acceptance of this material in the medical community, the use of allograft tissues is certain to expand in the field of musculoskeletal surgery.
FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D show the relative sizes of the femur 10 (thigh), tibia 11 (lower leg), humerus 12 (upper arm), and radius 13 (lower arm) respectively for an adult. As can be seen when comparing these bones, their geometry varies considerably. The lengths of these bones may have a range, for example, from 47 centimeters (femur), to 26 centimeters (radius). In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1E and 1F, the shape of the cross section of each type of bone varies considerably, as does the shape of any given bone over its length. While the femur 10, as shown in FIG. 1E, has a generally rounded outer shape, the tibia 11 has a generally triangular outer shape as shown in FIG. 1F. The wall thickness also varies in different areas of the cross-section of each bone. For example, femur 10 has a wall thickness X1 that is much smaller than wall thickness X2. Similarly, tibia 11 has a wall thickness X3 that is much smaller than wall thickness X4. Even after clearing the inner canal regions 14 and 15 within the bones, the contours of these canals vary considerably. Thus, machining of the bone to have standardized outer dimensions and/or canal dimensions is necessary in many applications.
Sections of bones with regions having narrow cross-sections, as seen for example with thicknesses X1 and X3, may be rejected for use in certain applications because the wall thickness does not have sufficient strength. Preferably, no region of a bone section has a thickness less than 5 millimeters, although in some applications smaller wall thicknesses may be employed. Thus, in the case that a bone section is found to have a region with a wall thickness less than a minimum acceptable thickness, such a bone section is rejected as being unsuitable for use in a bulk configuration. Often, such a section is ground into bone particulate that is then used in other applications. The minimum thickness standards imposed on the use of bone sections results in the rejection of substantial quantities of bone sections, and thus an inefficient use of the material. Bone sections that do not meet the minimum thickness standards are often found in older individuals.
As a collagen-rich and mineralized tissue, bone is composed of about forty percent organic material (mainly collagen), with the remainder being inorganic material (mainly a near-hydroxyapatite composition resembling 3Ca3(PO4)2.Ca(OH)2). Structurally, the collagen assumes a fibril formation, with hydroxyapatite crystals disposed along the length of the fibril, and the individual fibrils are disposed parallel to each other forming fibers. Depending on the type of bone, the fibrils are either interwoven, or arranged in lamellae that are disposed perpendicular to each other.
There is little doubt that bone tissues have a complex design, and there are substantial variations in the properties of bone tissues with respect to the type of bone (i.e., leg, arm, vertebra) as well as the overall structure of each type. For example, when tested in the longitudinal direction, leg and arm bones have a modulus of elasticity of about 17 to 19 GPa, while vertebra tissue has a modulus of elasticity of less than 1 GPa. The tensile strength of leg and arm bones varies between about 120 MPa and about 150 MPa, while vertebra have a tensile strength of less than 4 MPa. Notably, the compressive strength of bone varies, with the femur and humerus each having a maximum compressive strength of about 167 MPa and 132 MPa respectively. Again, the vertebra have a far lower compressive strength of no more than about 10 MPa.
With respect to the overall structure of a given bone, the mechanical properties vary throughout the bone. For example, a long bone (leg bone) such as the femur has both compact bone and spongy bone. Cortical bone, the compact and dense bone that surrounds the marrow cavity, is generally solid and thus carries the majority of the load in major bones. Cancellous bone, the spongy inner bone, is generally porous and ductile, and when compared to cortical bone is only about one-third to one-quarter as dense, one-tenth to one-twentieth as stiff, but five times as ductile. While cancellous bone has a tensile strength of about 10-20 MPa and a density of about 0.7, cortical bone has a tensile strength of about 100-200 MPa and a density of about 2. Additionally, the strain to failure of cancellous bone is about 5-7%, while cortical bone can only withstand 1-3% strain before failure. It should also be noted that these mechanical characteristics may degrade as a result of numerous factors such as any chemical treatment applied to the bone material, and the manner of storage after removal but prior to implantation (i.e. drying of the bone).
Notably, implants of cancellous bone incorporate more readily with the surrounding host bone, due to the superior osteoconductive nature of cancellous bone as compared to cortical bone. Furthermore, cancellous bone from different regions of the body is known to have a range of porosities. Thus, the design of an implant using cancellous bone may be tailored to specifically incorporate material of a desired porosity.
It is essential to recognize the distinctions in the types and properties of bones when considering the design of implants. Surgeons often work with bones using similar tools as would be found in carpentry, adapted for use in the operating room environment. This suggests that bones have some properties which are similar to some types of wood, for example ease in sawing and drilling. Notably, however, are many differences from wood such as the abrasive nature of hydroxyapatite and the poor response to local heating during machining of a bone. The combination of tensile and compressive strengths found in bone, resulting from the properties of the collagen and hydroxyapatite, is thus more aptly compared to the tensile and compressive strengths found in reinforced concrete, due to steel and cement. Furthermore, while wood is readily available in considerable quantity, bone material is an extremely limited resource that must be used in an extremely efficient manner.
Various types of bone grafts are known. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,289 to Coates et al., a spinal spacer includes a body formed of a bone composition such as cortical bone. The spacer has walls that define a chamber that is sized to receive an osteogenic composition to facilitate bone growth.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,939 to Boyce et al. discloses a bone-derived implant for load-supporting applications. The implant has one or more layers of fully mineralized or partially demineralized cortical bone and, optionally, one or more layers of some other material. The layers constituting the implant are assembled into a unitary structure, as by joining layers to each other in edge-to-edge fashion in a manner analogous to planking.
Another bone-grafting material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,470 to Nashef et al., and is formed using a tanning procedure involving glutaraldehyde that renders the material osteoinvasive. A bone block is shaped into a precise predetermined form and size using conventional machining techniques. A paste-like suspension is also formed using known methods of comminuting bone, such as milling, grinding, and pulverizing, and adding the pulverized or powdered bone to a carrier. The treatment with glutaraldehyde allows the use of bovine, ovine, equine, and porcine bone sources. However, if the final desired form of the bone grafting material is a block of bone or machined shape, the bone stock must be large enough to provide a block of the required size.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,828 to Nelson et al. discloses a xe2x80x9ccompositexe2x80x9d acetabular allograft cup for use in hip replacement surgery. A press is used to form the cup from impacted cancellous bone chips and cement. The composite is a hollow hemispherical dome having an outer surface comprised essentially of exposed cancellous bone chips and an inner surface comprised essentially of hardened bone cement. The cancellous bone chips are first placed in a mold and subjected to a load to form a compact and consolidated mass that conforms to the shape of the mold. The mold is then opened, cement is applied, and the mold is then reapplied. While an allograft of a particular shape may be formed using this process, the process is limited to forming an allograft by compressing cancellous bone chips. Thus, numerous molds are required in order to produce allografts of different sizes, and the use of bulk-size allograft source material is not facilitated.
With a rapidly increasing demand in the medical profession for devices incorporating bone material, the tremendous need for the tissue material itself, particularly allograft tissue material, presents a considerable challenge to the industry that supplies the material. Due to the size and shape of the bones from which the material is harvested, and the dimensional limitations of any particular type of bone in terms of naturally occurring length and thickness (i.e. cortical or cancellous), there is a need for a means by which individual bone fragments can be combined to form larger, integral implants that are more suitable for use in areas of larger fractures or defects. For example, the size of cortical bone fragments needed to repair a fracture or defect site is often not available in a thick enough form. While multiple fragments may together meet the size and shape requirements, several prominent concerns have placed a practical limitation on the implementation of this concept. There is considerable uncertainty regarding the structural integrity provided by fragments positioned adjacent to one another without bonding or other means of securing the fragments to each other. Moreover, there is concern over the possibility that a fragment may slip out of position, resulting in migration of the fragment and possible further damage in or near the area of implantation.
In addition, due to the geometry of bones such as the femur and tibia, all portions of the bones are not readily usable as a result of size limitations. Thus, prior art implants, specifically allografts, are produced with an inefficient use of source bones.
There is a need for new, fundamental approaches to working with and processing tissues, in particular allograft material, especially with regard to machining, mating, and assembling bone fragments. Specifically, there is a need for an implant that allows more efficient use of source material. More specifically, there is a need for an implant that is an integrated implant comprising two or more bone fragments that are interlocked to form a mechanically effective, strong unit.
The present invention is related to an implant including a body having an inner sheath and at least one outer sheath. Each sheath is formed from a different bone and has an interior surface and an exterior surface. The exterior surface of each outer sheath contacts the interior surface of no more than one other outer sheath. In one embodiment, a core is disposed in the inner sheath and is formed from a bone other than the bones of the sheaths. The core can be formed of cancellous bone, while at least one sheath can be formed of cortical bone. In another embodiment, at least one sheath can be formed of cancellous bone and the core can be formed of cortical bone. The bones are at least one of autograft, allograft, and xenograft bone tissue, and the bone tissue of at least one bone may be partially demineralized or demineralized. In a further embodiment, the body is formed from a cross-section of the sheaths and core, with the cross-section including at least a portion of each sheath and core. The sheaths and core can be coupled together with at least one fastener that may intersect each of the sheaths and core, with the fastener being a screw, key, pin, peg, rivet, cotter, nail, spike, bolt, stud, staple, boss, clamp, clip, dowel, stake, hook, anchor, tie, band, crimp, or wedge. Also, the sheaths and core can be bonded together with a bonding agent. At least one sheath may be packed with bone growth materials and may include alignment indicia. The exterior surface may be separated from a portion of the interior surface.
At least one of the inner sheath, an outer sheath, and the core can be at least partially dehydrated to fit against a surrounding mating surface. Furthermore, at least one of the inner sheath, an outer sheath, and the core can be at least partially dehydrated to fit within a surrounding inner sheath or outer sheath provided with a greater moisture content.
Contacting surfaces of adjacent sheaths can be machined surfaces so that the contour of the contacting surfaces is about the same. The machined surfaces permit press-fitting of one sheath into another sheath. In some embodiments, the bones are selected from a femur, tibia, humerus, fibula, ulna, and radius.
At least one supplemental sheath having an interior surface and an exterior surface also may be included, with the exterior surface of each supplemental sheath contacting the interior surface of no more than one other sheath and the interior surface of each supplemental sheath contacting the exterior surface of no more than one other sheath. The at least one supplemental sheath is formed of a material selected from metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and composites.
The present invention is also related to an implant having a body formed from a cross-section of a core and a plurality of sheaths. Each sheath has an inner surface and an outer surface, and at least two sheaths are formed from different bones. The outer surface of a first sheath has about the same contour as the inner surface of a second sheath so that the first and second sheaths mate together, and the cross-section includes at least a portion of each sheath and core. The core may be formed from a bone other than the bones of the sheaths, and in one embodiment the core is formed of cancellous bone and at least one sheath is formed of cortical bone. In another embodiment, at least one sheath is formed of cancellous bone and the core is formed of cortical bone.
Also, the present invention is related to an implant with a body that includes at least one sheath defining a hole, with a core fit therein. The body is formed from at least two different bones selected from a femur, tibia, humerus, fibula, ulna, and radius.
Furthermore, the present invention is related to an implant with a body having two outer annular members and at least one inner annular member. At least one of the annular members is formed from bone and the annular members are coupled together to create a central chamber. In one embodiment, each annular member has at least one surface that is press-fit with the surface of another annular member. The outside diameter of the outer annular members may be smaller than the outside diameter of the at least one inner annular member. The implant can be symmetrical about an innermost annular member, with the diameter of the implant progressively decreasing from the innermost annular member to each outer annular member. The central chamber can be packed with at least one of bone material and bone inducing substances.
In one embodiment, at least one annular member is formed of cancellous one and at least one annular member is formed of cortical bone. A plurality of annular members may be coupled together with at least one fastener. Also, a plurality of annular members may be bonded together with a bonding agent. In some embodiments, the annular members have non-circular shapes, such as generally oblong shapes. At least one supplemental annular member may be coupled to at least one of the annular members formed from bone, with the at least one supplemental annular member being formed of a material selected from metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and composites. At least one annular member may include alignment indicia, and adjacent surfaces of at least two annular members may not completely contact each other.
The invention further relates to an implant with a body having at least two ring-shaped members formed from bone that are coupled together to create a central chamber. The ring-shaped members may have ridges that mate and press-fit together.
Another implant of the present invention includes at least two layers of bone components coupled to each other, the components together defining at least one securing region, and at least one insertable securing element adapted for placement in the at least one securing region. The at least one securing region may be a recess or hole, and each layer may be formed from a different bone selected from a femur, tibia, humerus, fibula, ulna, and radius. At least one layer may be formed of cancellous bone and at least one layer may be formed of cortical bone. Also, the layers may include at least one of autograft, allograft, and xenograft bone tissue, and the layers may be bonded together with a bonding agent. The bone tissue of at least one bone may be partially demineralized or demineralized, and the layers may be bonded together with a bonding agent. A first layer may be at least partially dehydrated to mate against at least one other layer. Adjacent layers may be provided with mutually contacting surfaces that are machined to have about the same contour, and the contacting surfaces of adjacent layers may be press-fit together.
In addition, the implant may further include at least one supplemental layer coupled to at least one of the layers of bone components, with the at least one supplemental layer being formed of a material selected from metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and composites. Also, the implant may further include a chamber packed with bone growth materials. In some embodiments, at least one layer includes alignment indicia, and the outer surface may be separated from a portion of the inner surface.
The present invention is further related to a hollow body having a minimum wall thickness, the body being formed from a plurality of portions of bone sections with each section having a thick-walled portion and a thin-walled portion. The thick-walled portion has a wall thickness at least as thick as the minimum wall thickness, and the thin-walled section has a wall thickness less than the minimum wall thickness. Only thick-walled portions are coupled together to form the body. The thick-walled portions are coupled together with at least one portion having a first coupling and at least one portion having a second coupling, with the portions being joined together by interfitting together the first and second couplings. At least one coupling may be at least partially dehydrated to mate against another coupling. In one embodiment, the first coupling is a male coupling and the second coupling is a female coupling so that the portions are mated in a male-female relationship. The male coupling may be a tenon and the female coupling may be a mortise, or the male coupling may be a tongue and the female coupling may be a groove.
The present invention is also related to an implant including a layer formed of a first bone and at least one layer formed by a curable carrier, with the at least one layer being molded to the first bone. The layer formed of a first bone may include a primary sleeve with a top surface, a bottom surface, an inner surface, and an outer surface, with the at least one layer of curable carrier being molded to the inner surface or the outer surface. In one embodiment, the curable carrier further includes bone or ceramic in powder, chips, or fibers. At least one secondary sleeve may be provided, with each secondary sleeve being coupled to a primary sleeve or another secondary sleeve by a layer of curable carrier.
Additionally, the present invention is related to a method of forming an implant including: surrounding at least a portion of a bone section with a first mold to create a cavity therebetween; filling the cavity with a first substance, and coupling the first substance to the bone section. The first substance may be at least one of a curable carrier, bone powder, bone chips bone fibers, or ceramic, and be coupled to the bone section by curing or by compaction.